Sanctuary Research

At MacKillop, the Sanctuary Model underpins our work with children, young people and families. The Sanctuary Model is a whole-culture approach that has a clear and structured methodology for creating or changing an organisational culture.

Sanctuary creates an environment in which staff can sustain work with traumatised individuals and build meaningful connections. It supports staff and clients to be safe and facilitates healing for those impacted by trauma.

Sanctuary was developed in America and is an ‘Evidence-supported’ model which means it is verified by sound science and effective practices.

MacKillop is working with Monash University on a PhD study to consider the question of how the life-long effects of intergenerational disadvantage and vulnerability in children and young people can be moderated by trauma-responsive schools; how this could be achieved within the Australian context; and evaluating the implementation and efficacy of RELATE, an emergent Australian trauma-informed system-wide educational practice model informed by the Sanctuary model.